Automatic telephone switch



April 14, 1925.

F. J. BROWNELL AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SWITCH Filed May 11 VPatented Apr. 14, 1925 UNlrEn stares .earner Fries.

FREDERICK J'. BROWNELL, OF QUEENS, 'NEN YORK, ASSIGNOR- T0 WESTERN ELECTRC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEN 55133K, N. Y A QOR-GR-ATION OF NEW YORK.

.AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SWITCH.

Application filed May i1, 1922,

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that 1, FREDERICK J. BnowN- ELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Queens, in the county of Queens, State of New York, have invented certain new and kuseful Improvements in Automatic Telephone Switches, of which the. following is a. full, clear, concise, and exact description. Y

This invention relates to automatic switching apparatus and more particularly to coordinate switches of the type adapted for establishing connections in an automatic telephone exchange system.

The invention is particularly adaptable to a switching system of the type disclosed in a co-pending application of. Charles L. Goodrum and John N. Reynolds, Serial No.

486,442, filed July 21, 1921, or the British patent issued to Western Electric Company,

Limited, No. 183,438, accepted September 6, 1923, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention may be applied equally well to perform other switching functions with few changes in the operating circuit.

The object of this invention is to provide an economical and improved form of coordinate switch which will be simple, durable and reliable to operation. Y

In accordance with the foregoing object, the principal feature of this inventionY relates to the provision of a novel mechanism forrselectively operating the active rcontacts in a coordinate switch structure, comprising in general, a lifting armprovided with a cam and a hook-shaped portion which is adapted to operatively engage an operating member, thereby to move ak card of insulation material through which the active contact springs extend, the operation of the card being effective to permit the active contacts to move into engagement with their associated passive contacts.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description, and from the claims appended thereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a partial front assembly view of said switch. Fig. 2 is a right-hand side view thereof showing the lower set-of contacts in operated position; and Fig. 3fis a perspective View of a set of contacts showing the rela- Serial No. 560,011.

tive normal positions of the select-ive and operating bars.

The sets of grid conductors comprising the wires 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1, 2, 3 and 4, etc., are securely fastened attheir ends to ixed members, not shown. Supports 6 are of insulation material and are disposed at right angles to the direction of the length of the grid conductors and on them are mounted the iiexible wire contact springs 3, 9, 10, 11 and 8, 9', 10, 11, etc. be of considerable length and may carry any desired number of sets of contact springs 8,9, 10, 11, etc., depending upon the switch capacity desired. For simplicity of illustration, however, only two such sets are shown on support 6 in the side view of 2.y The free ends of each set of contact springs 8,l 9, 10, 11, etc., extend through oblique apertures 12 in a tie member or card 13, each of which is freely mounted on a resilient support 14, said resilient support being fixed at one end portion to the support 6. rllhe free end 14 of resilient support 14 normally rests on the topmost conductor of its associated set of grid conductors, thus acting as a back stop for the active contact wires. The resilient support is adjusted normally to holdthe cards 13 and contact springs down out of contact with the grid conductors. l/Vith each vertical row of active contact sets there is associated a ver- The supports 6 mayV tical rotatable bar 15 which is provided at l one end with an armature 16 arranged to be attracted by an electromagnet 17, whereby the bar 15 is rotated out of its normal position in response to each energization of said electromagnet. On each vertical bar 15, there is provided a number of resilient guides 13 each individual to a set of contact springs, and each provided with a back stop V19 to hold said guides, when operated, in a ent in the horizontal direction. Each ol these arms Q3 is individually associated with a set of active contact wires and a guide lil.

The operating cards 18 are each movably engaged in a channel-shaped guide 25 held secure on the. switch trame (not shown) in any ive-ll known manner. The said cards, as above observed, are each mounted on a resilient support 14; adapted to be operatively engaged by the hooi; 26 et arm Q3, but it will be noted that normally arms 23 are tree to move in a vertical path to one side ot their respectively associated resilient supports la. This is true, however, only While the associated guide 1.8 is in its normal position as shown at 2T, l, wherein the arm 28 is shoivn in its ott-normal :ineffective position.

lVhen the vertical bar 'l5 is rotated out ot' its normal position by electromagnet 17, the end portions 29 olf the guides 18 are moved into operable engagement with the cam portions 2li oli their associated arms 23. rlhe rotation ot' bar results in the lifting ot the operating card 13 by means oit` the engagement et the resilient support 1st with the hook 2G so as to permit the active contact Wires S, f), lO and ll to engage the grid conductors l', 2, 3 and 1l, respectively. The operated horizontal bar together with arm thereon remain in their oli-normal position throughout the duration ot the connection, bnt the vertical bars l5 may be immediately restored to normal. The cam portion 26 in its operated position is entirely clear et its associated guide 1S so that any subsequent movement ot the guide arm is ineliective to disturb the connection already established.

lVhat is claimed is:

l. The combination in a switching mechanism, of cooperating active and passive contacts, an operating card through which said active contacts pass, a movable support for said operating card, an operating member normally movable in a path ineffective to engage said support, and resilient means for causing said operating member to deviate from its path to engage said support and cause the actuation ot the active and passive contacts.

2. The combination in a switching mechanism of cooperating active and passive contacts, a flexible element :tor supporting said active contacts, said active contacts being normally out of engagement with said passive contacts, a device having a hooked portion and normally rotatable in a path inetfective to cause the operation of said act-ive contacts, a bar for moving said device, and another bar cooperating With said Iirst bar -for causing said device to deviate from its normal path to engage said flexible element to actuate said active contacts.

3. A coordinate switch comprising sets of igseasve passive contact members, sets oit' active contactmembers, an arm Ytor operating said members, a cam carried by said arm, said arm being normally operable ineti'eetivelyv with respect to said active Contact members, a rotatable guide, and means for rotating said guide to cause a subsequent operation ot' said arm to be etici-tive with respect to said active contact members.

et. A coordinate switch comprising sets ot passive Contact members, sets ot active contact members normally out ot Contact vrith the lirst mentioned sets, a resilient arm tor operating said members, a cam carried by said arm, said arm being normally movable in a. path wherein it is ineitective to operate said active members. and a resilient guide cooperating with said cam which when operated is effective to cause said arm to deviate from its normal path to operate said act-ive contacts.

it coordinate switch comprising sets oi" passive contacts, sets oi active contacts normally out oi" Contact with the first mentioned sets, a resilientarm having a hooked portion Ator operating said active contactsr` said arm being normally movable in a path wherein it is inetl'ective to operate said active contacts, means for operating said arm comprising a resilient guide, and means 't'or moving said guide into the path of said arm whereby said arm is caused to deviate Ytrom its normal path to operate said active contacts.

G. A coordinate switch structure comprising sets ot passive contacts, sets of active contacts normally out oit contact with the first mentioned sets, a resilient arm having a hooked portion tor operating` said active contacts, said arm being normally operable ineliectively with respect to said active contacts, a .resilient guiday and means 1to1' moving said guide whereby said guide is operable to cause a subsequent operation oi3 said arm to effect connection between said contacts, said connection being una'tiiectcd during its continuation by subsequent operation ot said guide.

7. In a. coordina-te switch structure sets of passive contacts arranged in a rovv, sets of active contacts arranged in a row coordinate to the iirst mentioned row, a bar associated With said rovv of passive contacts., a plurality of resilient operating arms mounted on said bar, a cam carried by each of said arms, a bar associated with said ron7 ot active contacts, a resilient guide carried by said bar, means 'for operating the first inentioned bar to move said resilient arm, and means lor operating the second mentioned bar to move said guide, a movement ci@ said guide followed by a movement of said resilient arm being effective to interengage said active and passive contacts,

8. In a coordinate switch structure, a

row of sets of passive contacts, a row of sets of active contacts arranged on upright supports disposed coordinately to said row of passive contacts, a tie member for each set of active contacts, a movable support for each of said members, means for operatively engaging said lastvmentioned supports comprising a pair of coordinately disposed rotatable bars, a resilient operating arm mounted on one of the bars of said pair, a cam carried by said arm, and a guide carried by the other bar of said pair of bars, said guide in its off-normal position being disposed in the normal path of said resilient arm Wherebysaid resilient arm in its move ment from normal is caused to deviate from its normal path to eft'ect interengagement of said contacts,

9. In a coordinate switch, sets of passive contacts, sets of active contacts normally out of engagement with said passive contacts, an operating card for each set of active cont-acts and through which the latter pass, a flexible support' for each of said operating cards, a rotatable bar carrying a plurality of resilient arms each having a hooked portion and each associated with an active contact set, flexible guides, mea-ns for moving said resilient arms freely with regard to said active contact sets, and means eective upon the actuation of said flexible guides and a subsequent movement of a particular one of said resilient arms for causing the latter to deviate from its pat-h to thereby selectively operate the associated active contact set.

l0. In a coordinate switch structure, set-s of passive contacts, sets of active contacts, each set of' active contacts being associated with a set of' passive contacts, a tie member for each set of active contacts, a movable support for each of said members, and a selective mechanism for operating said active contacts, including a vertically disposed rotatable bar, a resilient arm on said bar adapted to be iiexed into engageable relation with said movable support, -a second rotatable bar disposed co'ordinately to the first mentioned bar, and a resilient guide which when operated is effective to cause said arm to deviate from its normal path to engage and move said support to effect engagement between said sets of contacts.

l1. In a coordinate switch structure, sets of passive contacts, sets of active contacts, a selective mechanism for operating said active contacts including a movable bar carrying a plurality of flexible arms, a rotatable bar, a resilient guide on said rotatable bar, means carried by said rotatable bar to hold said guide in a fixed position relative to the ofinormal movement of one of said arms, and means rendered effective when said last mentioned arm is moved subsequent to the rotation of said rotatable bar for causing said contact sets to interengage.

l2. In a coordinate switch structure, sets of passive contacts, sets of active contacts, a selective mechanism for operating said active conta-cts including a movable bar carrying a plurality of flexible arms, a rotatable bar, a resilient guide on said rotatable bar, means carried by said rotatable bar to hold said guide in a fixed position relative to the off-normal movement of one of said arms, and means rendered effective when said last mentioned arm is moved prior to the rotation of said bar for rendering such arm ineffective to cause interengagement of said contact sets.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 6th day of May A. D 1922.

FREDERICK J. BRowNELL. 

